Permit
The city or county's written permission to do work that affects safety or structure, followed by an inspection.
Electrical panels, water heaters, roofs, decks, additions: most jurisdictions want a permit and an inspection for them. The permit is pulled by the licensed contractor, costs a fee, and puts the job on the inspector's schedule. Work done without one can fail a home sale years later.
On the bid, the permit is its own line: who pulls it, what it costs, and that the schedule starts after approval. Leaving it off the bid is the most common source of a dispute three weeks in.
Related: Inspection · Lead time
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